English Premier
2008-09-21 - Chelsea vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Chelsea
Chelsea have made a very strong start under the guidance of new manager 'Big' Phil Scolari but they have looked impressive in patches. Scolari was disappointed with their performance in midweek even if they did beat Bordeaux 4-0, but I think they will be totally focused on this game.
Chelsea currently lead the Premier League with their 3-1-0 record where they have scored 9 goals and conceded 2. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are 1-1-0 with 5 goals scored and 1 conceded.
Chelsea have made an unbeaten start to the season and have bounced back from their only draw so far with 2 wins, scoring 7 goals and only conceding 1. They were very impressive in their disposal of Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium last week but this will be their toughest test of the season so far.
John Terry had his red card rescinded from last week and is available to play, much to the chagrin of Sir Alex Ferguson. Didier Drogba is still not fit enough to start so Anelka will play, and Chelsea have a full squad to choose from.
Manchester United
United have started much the same way as they did last season but this game represents a much more important game than at the same stage last season. A defeat here will leave United 9 points behind their closest rivals at this early stage, and Sir Alex will know that will leave his side with a mountain to climb.
United currently sit down in 14th position, as much to do with their 1-1-1 start as it does with the fact they have played 1 game less than other teams. United have scored 3 goals and conceded 3 in their opening games and are 1-0-1 away from home with 2 goals scored and 2 conceded.
United have failed to win any of their last 3 games in all competitions and have lost 2 of those games. They have not lost back to back league games in 122 outings. A concern for know will be that United have only scored 4 goals in their first 6 games but this is bound to come good at some point. United have failed to score more than 1 goal in any of their games so far this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov are both expected to start this game after recovering from injuries. This may cause a problem in knowing which of the 4 strikers at United's disposal will be left out for this game as I very much doubt all 4 will be started in such a big game. Nemanja Vidic is out and United will be either bringing in Gary Neville or Jonny Evans to the side.
Head to Head
United and Chelsea went through a long period when each had better results on the oppenents turf but those days have now faded fast. United have won the last 2 league titles and also beat Chelsea in the Champions League Final last year but their record at Stamford Bridge recently has been awful.
United have lost 4 of the last 5 games at Stamford Bridge in the League and have also failed to win there in 6 attempts. The only draw in the last 5 games was essentially an end of season reserve team game after United had already wrapped up the title 2 seasons ago.
United have only scored 1 goal at Stamford Bridge in the last 5 seasons in the league.
Prediction
United know a defeat here will put a serious question mark on their ability to retain their title this season. They should perform a lot better than they did at Anfield last week.
Chelsea have looked pretty good in periods this season and I was very impressed with their performance at City last week. They will be up for the battle after what happened in the Champions League Final last season.
I would not dissuade anyone who felt Chelsea were a good bet to not do it as the statistics in recent seasons points to their dominance at home in this fixture in league meetings.
However, United will be up for this game and I would not rule them out at all. This is the time United can shine, when many think they have little chance of performing, and I think United can get a point here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
BEST BETTING TIP :
Draw
